Sunday, March 31, 2013

I can't believe it's been over two years since I last posted to this blog. There have been lots of changes in my life since then: new country, new job and new home.

I've been in rural New Zealand for almost three months now, and working at my new job for a couple of those. I'm still getting used to the accent (asking people to repeat and spell out their names is getting a little embarrassing, especially when it turns out their name is Smith), still getting used to the money, and still getting used to the small everyday things things that trip me up. I'm still loving it, and have to pinch myself almost everyday to convince myself I'm not dreaming.

Do I miss family and friends? Of course I do. Sometimes painfully so. Thank goodness for Skype and FaceBook - it's so easy to keep in touch with family.

Do I wish we were back in the UK? Sometimes, but not often and not regularly. Do I wish we could get bacon that hasn't been smoked? HELL YES! However, it's a new place and new life. It would be churlish and foolish to ignore all the exciting new in order to cling to the old.

Things that haven't changed in my life: I'm still obsessed with reading and crafts. Since landing in New Zealand, I've found that I'm interested in patchwork again and have started hand-sewing a green and cream 9-patch quilt. I picked up a quilting frame a few weeks ago, so I'll get to try that out soon. The knitting is still going strong, and I've even kept up work on the crochet blanket project (I've made just over 200 of the 400 squares I need).

The next big thing is moving into our new home, where I'll be responsible for establishing and maintaining the vegetable garden. Yikes! I'm not a confident gardener, so that will be... interesting.